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NATO’s Cyber Defence Pledge: NATO’s new digital chief

By: Atlantic Treaty Association -
Published: February 20, 2018

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Kevin J Scheid took the helm of the NATO’s tech and cyber arms, the NATO communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), on 1 July, becoming the first senior US official to head the organization. He outlines some of his priorities as takes up his post at a time of fundamental change in NATO’s tech landscape

Q. HOW ARE YOU SETTLING IN AS THE NEW GENERAL MANGER OF THE NCI AGENCY?

A. At the end of September, I completed a 90-day assessment and will now be developing, together with our Supervisory Board, a three-year strategy, aiming to have it approved at the Board’s November meeting. I am optimistic and impressed with the talent in the Agency. Obviously, there are challenges we need to address; the Agency is the result of a merger of five distinct NATO bodies in 2012 and is emerging from a major period of transformation.

In the development of the strategy, I am collaborating closely with the Agency Supervisory Board, the NATO leadership and the military commands to ensure their concerns and ambitions for the Agency are fully understood and reflected.

At the core of the NCI Agency is not technology or big programmes. At its core are its people – a tremendous collection of talented men and women, personnel who work together daily in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Norfolk, VA, and locations across Europe to solve problems, deliver services and work with industry to deliver the capabilities that allow NATO to preserve peace and project stability worldwide. This is the greatest reward of the General Manager – to work with such a capable, diverse, international team who have dedicated themselves to no less a goal than world peace. I am excited about the work ahead.

Q. WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE AGENCY?

A. Improved service and programme delivery will be my key focus, enabled by strengthening the Agency’s human talent capital. This should be seen in a wider strategic context.

The scope of the Agency’s responsibility is large – missile defense, air command and control, cyber security, the modernisation of the NATO IT infrastructure and critical services that the Agency provides to the political leadership and military command structure; we need to ensure that we are on time, scope and budget.

Seventy per cent of our work is executed through contracts with the Industries of our Member Nations and I am looking forward to continuing to expand our partnership with Industry; in particular, to continue to seek ways of getting capabilities deployed faster, in pace with technological change.

Today, some economists are speaking about a “golden decade” ahead of us in Europe; and the economies of North America are well into a significant period of growth and expansion. Nations are investing more in defence and expanding their capabilities in information technology, cyber security, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. These are the Agency’s core capabilities and I believe we will see growing demand for the Agency’s capability development skills and thought leadership across Europe.

Q. WHY IS CYBERSECURITY A KEY NATO CAPABILITY?

A. One aspect is the nature of modern capabilities – be they ground vehicles, or fighter planes (take the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance) – they are inherently networked. So cyber defence is becoming a key aspect of all capability development.

There is also the fundamental nature of the Alliance – we bring together the forces of the Nations into a cohesive, multinational force. Command and control – via networks– is at the heart of that and needs to be defended. If a bank gets hacked, they lose lots of money; with us, lives are at risk. Timely access to data and information is also a critical resource, as it enables the North Atlantic Council’s decision-making.

My final point would be that we live in a digital world, and our economies are digital – this is why, at NATO’s 2016 Warsaw Summit, our Heads of State and Government stressed that “cyber attacks present a clear challenge to the security of the Alliance and could be as harmful to modern societies as a conventional attack.” It is a challenging mission but we have a world-class team that fits the battle every day, 24/7.

Kevin J Scheid has served the Federal Government for over 30 years in progressively senior positions at the White House, Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense.

In November 2016, he was selected by the Member Nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to serve as General Manage, NATO Communications and Information Agency, effective 1 July 2017.

For the occasion of the NATO Special Meeting in May 2017, ATA has published a dedicated monograph where high level policy makers and experts tackle the strategic issues of the summit. This publication was distributed to all the delegations and representatives that were taking part to closed-doors discussions and parallel meetings that took place before and during the Summit.

Atlantic Treaty Association

On December 5th-6th, the ATA Secretariat hosted in Brussels a series of Meetings focused on strategic communication.
PHOTO GALLERY
The two days meeting took place as follows:
ATA -YATA Integrated Communication Task Force
Wednesday, December 5th, 13.00h-17.00h
On December 5th the ATA hosted the kick off meeting of the ATA-YATA Integrated Communications Task Force. ATA & YATA members from across the network have gathered together in Brussels to work out ATA and YATA communication strategy and to agree how to execute it. They are exchanging experience and sharing best practices in order to strengthen ATA Communication efforts on how to promote the Transatlantic Alliance on the threshold of NATO's 70th anniversary.
Social Media Training
Wednesday, December 5th, 17.00h-18.00h
On December 5th the ATA organized a Social Media Training for ATA & YATA representatives on the sidelines of the Communication Task Force Meeting and the Screening of the NATO HQ: Behind the lines Documentary. Ms. Karolina Wozniak, Web Comm at the European Parliament and Mr. Mariani from the Italian Atlantic Committee provided practical tips & tricks for the use of Social Media for the ATA in General as well as for the National Chapters - focusing on the diversity of topics and social media tools.
Screening: "NATO HQ: Behind the lines"
Wednesday, December 5th, 19.00h
On the evening of the Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers on December 5th 2018, NATO PDD Engagements Section invited ATA and YATA Members to the public screening of the documentary 'NATO HQ: Behind the lines'. It presents NATO's history through the four decades of service of the well known public figure of NATO, Mr. Jamie Shea. He received worldwide attention while serving as the spokesperson for NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War and his last position in NATO HQ was Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.
Brief the Briefers
Thursday, December 6th, 10.00h-13.00h
The following day, on 6th December, ATA - with the support of NATO PDD - organized a "Brief the Briefers" session with NATO speakers addressing ATA and YATA Members at ATA HQ. Mr. Paul King, Programme Officer at the Engagements Section of NATO Public Diplomacy Division spoke about the NATO’s Current Political Agenda after the Brussels Summit; Mr. Robert Rszczel, Senior Officer for Russia and Western Balkans at the Engagements Section of NATO Public Diplomacy Division spoke about NATO-Russia Relations and Mr. Michael Ruehle, Head of the Energy Security Section at NATO Emerging Security Challenges Division (in the photo), addressed the audience about the Emerging Security Risks.

Recently, a Workshop on the Role of Youth against Terrorism and Violent Extremism in the Western Balkans was organized by the Atlantic Council of Montenegro, with the support of the Embassy of Canada, in Podgorica, Montenegro from 19-21 November 2018.
During the 2 day event, over 30 young people from across the Western Balkans interacted with reputable speakers and experts about extremist radicalization and the foreign fighter phenomenon among the youth in the Western Balkans. This is a specific topic that concerns not only regional, but international security as well.
Some of the esteemed speakers that we were privileged to host, such as Former Islamic extremist Adam Deen, Professor Vlado Azinović, Director of the Police Administration of Montenegro Veselin Veljović, Archpriest-Stavrophor Boris Brajović, Jessie Hronesova from Aktis Strategy and Džemo Redžematović from the Islamic Community of Montenegro, helped the young participants grasp a more thorough understanding of the field. Some of the most prevalent discussions were oriented around what drives young people to join terrorist organizations, what makes young people get involved in foreign battlefields, what is the influence of social media in recruiting people, and what are the other mechanisms through which the youth is recruited. Prevention and solutions to these pressing issues drove the interaction, and delegates received critical knowledge relating to how they can help solve this issue as the upcoming generation, as well as learning about which institutions can directly affect the radicalization process, both in positive and negative manners.
The Atlantic Council of Montenegro and YATA Montenegro recognize that future generation is the group most vulnerable to violent radicalization but simultaneously the group that has the greatest potential to prevent and counter it. Knowing that, one of the main objectives was for young people to gain skills and necessary knowledge in recognizing and combating radicalization.
We strongly believe that we have succeeded in our efforts to encourage significant discussion with a wide range of opinions regarding one of the most important issues in the field of international security. All of the participants agreed upon that regardless of education, age andclass everyone can undergo radicalization, as well as that terrorism and violent extremism are global problems and should not be linked only to one religion or group.
The Workshop has managed to justify high standards set by our events and became the platform for critical discussion among the youth.

On October 16 Admiral James G. Foggo III, commander of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples, gave a lecture sponsored by Vardberg (ATA Iceland) under the heading: Changing Strategic Environment and Military Developments in the North Atlantic and NATO´s and Allies responses to that.
Admiral Foggo is responsible for conducting the exercise Trident Juncture 2018 and was in Iceland in connection with an exercise of several hundred US Marines as a forerunner of Trident Juncture in and around Norway.
The admiral also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic in Faxa Bay, Iceland, aboard the Icelandic Coast Guard Vessel Thor, Oct. 16, 2018.
Here is a recording of the meeting of Vardberg which took place in the Nordic House in Reykjavik. The moderator is Björn Bjarnason, president of Vardberg.
https://vimeo.com/295752190

Providing Security in Unsecure Times:
Priorities and Prospects for NATO and the EU,
hosted by the GREEK ASSOCIATION FOR ATLANTIC & EUROPEAN COOPERATION
In cooperation with The Athens Flying Week of 2018 and
In Collaboration with Women In International Security (WIIS) - Greece
The Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation held the Conference on “Providing Security in Unsecure Times: Priorities and Prospects for NATO and the EU” in cooperation with the Athens Flying Week 2018 and in collaboration with Women In International Security-Greece, with the kind support of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, on 20 September 2018 at the Hellenic Armed Forces Officers Club (Sarogleion Megaron). The Conference topics combined the Air flying industry with the broader Security and International Relations contemporary issues, following the 2018 NATO Summit. Included here is the Photo Gallery.
Following the opening remarks by Mr. Theodosis Georgiou, President of Greek Association for Atlantic & European Cooperation (GAAEC), former President Atlantic Treaty Association, Mr. Panagiotis Podimatas, President of the Organizing Committee for the Athens Flying Week 2018 and Ms. Ino Afentouli of the ΝΑΤΟ Public Diplomacy Division, the Conference included six panels of distinguished speakers discussing topics that related to the AFW18 project and the issues projected following the 2018 NATO Summit. Deputy Minister for Citizen Protection Katerina Papakosta expressed her concerns on human security stating that the international terminology now encompasses issues of poverty, social exclusion, religious fanaticism, and the questioning of governments by groups of citizens - in particular following the economic crisis.
The audience appreciated the work done behind the scenes to ensure the safety of air travel as presented on the « Tourism, Security and Development» panel, by Mr. Charalambos Karimalis, President of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Tourism Organization, Mr. Radu Valentin Metescu, Director of the Blue-Air airlines Training and Mr. Harris Markopoulos, Manager of the Security and Crisis management section of Aegean Air.
A long interesting discussion followed at the “Greek Foreign and Defence policy in a changing international & regional environment. Challenges & opportunities after the 2018 NATO Summit” panel, chaired by Mr. Athanasios Ellis, the Director of Kathimerini - English Edition newspaper between the Members of Parliament Mr. Konstantinos Douzinas, President of the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Mr. George Koumoutsakos, New Democracy Coordinator for Foreign Policy, Mr. Andreas Loverdos, Parliamentary Representative of “Movement for Change” and Ambassador ΑdH George Kaklikis, Advisor to the President of “Potami” on Foreign Policy Issues. The Prespes agreement was inadvertently one of the key issues discussed.
During the “New War Battlefields, Hybrid Threats” panel Captain Spyridon Papageorgiou, Director of the Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff Cyber Defense Division, presented the dangers of Cyberspace and included practical advice for more secure use of the Internet. Mr. Triantafyllos Karatrantos, Senior Researcher of the Center for Security Studies ( KE.ME.A.) and Advisor of G.A.A.E.C. expanded on the Hybrid threats. The Chair was Mr. Andreas Lykoyrentzos, Founding Member of G.A.A.E.C. and former Minister.
The “Perspectives & Challenges for European Security in the post 2018 NATO Summit era”, chaired by Ms. Ino Afentouli of the ΝΑΤΟ P.D.D., were knowingly discussed by former Minister & Member of the Hellenic & European Parliament Ms. Marrieta Giannakou, Professor at the University of the Aegean and President of the KEMEA Board Mr. Panayotis Tsakonas, and the ELIAMEP Director General, Mr. Thanos Dokos.
Former Professor at the Athens University of Economics & Business and Member of the GAAEC Education Committee Mr. Anestis Konstantinidis chaired the “Could the EU develop an independent defense identity with a special emphasis in the aviation industry?” panel. Mr. Zacharias Gikas, President of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Mr. Tasos Rozolis, SEKPY President, and Mr. Alexandros Taliadouris, Manager, Strategy & Business Development, CAE Defence & Security – Europe & Africa CAE Defence and Security presented their expert contributions to the discussion on this pertinent question.
The last session on “Inclusive Security - Aspects and effects for the citizens, PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST”, chaired by the Chairperson of Women In International Security (WIIS)-Greece Dr. Aliki Mitsakos, Founding Member of GAAEC and Dean of The International Center for Leading Studies (TICLS) epitomized the core concept of all the discussions referring to the broad connotations of Security for everybody in every day life. Two influencers contributed their experiences. Member of Parliament Mr. Vasilis Kikilias, Former Minister of Public Order & Citizen Protection & National Defence Coordinator for New Democracy, presented the State concerns for safety, and the Journalist Mr. Nikos Evaggelatos, who referred to the effect of the media. Despite the long hours of discussion the audience remained attentive to the observations delivered by Ms. Vassiliki Souladaki, International relations, Mr. Sakis Ioannides, Member of the Central Administration of the Economic Chamber of Greece, Mr. Petros Violakis, Vice President of KEDISA and Mr. Ilias Tasopoulos, Senior editor of the Center for Mediterranean, Middle East & Islamic Studies.
The contribution of the Honorary Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General George Avlonitis to the organization of the Conference and the AFW18 must by acknowledged.
On the weekend of 22-23 September all the participants had the opportunity to attend the Athens Flying Week International Airshow 2018, the major Air Show that hosted elite display teams, pilots with special skills, aircraft with amazing capabilities, and amazing flying programmes.
GAAEC’s next activities include the Inclusive Security Road Show to major cities in Greece during November and December 2018.

On Thursday 27th September, the 64th ATA General Assembly was hosted at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest by the Euro-Atlantic Council of Romania. Security in the Black Sea Region has been the major focus of the Public session titled "The Future of The Transatlantic Security After the NATO Summit: A Black Sea Region Perspective". On September 28th, ATA Delegates participated at the International Event organized in partnership with the Bucharest Security Conference.
PROGRAM:
G E N E R A L A S S E M B L Y
Bucharest, Palace of Parliament
September 26, h.9.30-19.00
in partnership with the Committee for Defense, Public Order, and National Security, Chamber of Deputies, Romanian Parliament
Public Session (with Media Representatives)
Welcome Address
Prof. Fabrizio W. LUCIOLLI
President ATA
Prof. Remus PRICOPIE
Rector, SNSPA
Mr. Alex ȘERBAN
Founding President EACR, former ATA Vice President
Speakers
Hon. Dorel CĂPRAR
President, Parliamentary Committee for Defence and National Security
H.E. Dan NECULĂESCU
State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Gen. Maj. Teodor INCICAȘ
Deputy Chief, General Staff of Romania
Hon. Ioan Mircea PAȘCU
Vice President of the European Parliament, Former Minister of Defence
Discussion/Q&A session
Panel II
Mr. Cristian DIACONESCU
Former Foreign Minister, Former Justice Minister (Member EACR)
Prof. Dan DUNGACIU
President, Black Sea University Foundation (Member EACR)
Gen. Sergiu MEDAR
Former National Security Adviser, former Chief of Defence Intelligence
Mr. Rino BRUGGE
Director General, SN Damen Galati
Discussion/Q&A session
PHOTO GALLERY:
VIDEO GALLERY:
Livestreaming:
Part I
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticTreatyAssociation/videos/286240825547653/[/embed]
Part II
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticTreatyAssociation/videos/303937093534376/[/embed]
Interview with Mr. Fabrizio W. Luciolli, President of the Atlantic Treaty Association
Interview with Mr. Alex Serban, President of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Romania
Interview with Hon. Ioan Mircea Pascu, Vice President of the European Parliament, former Minister of Defence
Interview with Gen. Maj. Incicas, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Romania
Interviews with Amb. Sorin Ducaru, Former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges
Interview with Mr. Rino Brugge, Director General of Damen, Sponsor of the ATA General Assembly in Bucharest

On Thursday 27th September 2018, ATA delegates gathered together at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest for the 64th General Assembly, unanimously elected Mr. Zsolt Rabai as the new Secretary General and discussed about the future activities and programs.

Federica Mogherini - High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the European Commission, explains how the cooperation between EU and NATO makes both stronger.
These have been two intense years for cooperation between the European Union and NATO. After the historic Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw, our partnership is now closer than ever. We have moved forward on all 74 actions we identified for close collaboration. The more we work together, the more we realise we are complementary and we need one another.
The list of our new fields of cooperation is long. Twenty of our common actions relate to hybrid threats, where our exchanges now happen on a daily basis. Last year, our parallel and coordinated exercises were also based on a hybrid scenario, and the same will happen this year. Beyond hybrid, our naval operations in the Mediterranean – Sophia and Sea Guardian – are sharing information as well as logistical support. The first ever EU-NATO staff-to-staff dialogue on counter-terrorism took place just weeks ago. And we have intensified our coordination on strengthening the capacities of our partners – particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Tunisia, but also in Georgia and Jordan. In Ukraine we are working together on issues such as strategic communications, training, and security sector reform.
The clearest example is probably military mobility. Today, more than ever, rapid response has become an essential requirement for our security. Getting our assets where they are needed, and doing so swiftly, is a necessity we need to ensure at all times. This requires work on physical infrastructure around Europe, but also to remove legal and bureaucratic obstacles. On the side of the European Union we have - in line with the competences - identified a series of operational measures to overcome these barriers. In addition, the new long-term EU budget proposed by the European Commission foresees an investment of €6.5 billion in this field. And we have taken action on military mobility in the framework of the Permanent Structured Cooperation that 25 of our Member States have launched on defence issues. This work is happening in constant coordination with NATO. Experts from NATO have been associated with our consultations, and NATO has shared its parameters for transport infrastructure. There is no better example of how a stronger European Union in the field of defence also makes NATO stronger.
EU and NATO are different organisations. The European Union is not a military alliance, and we do not intend to become one. NATO and the EU do different things: complementarity is in the nature of our partnership. At the same time, increased cooperation inside the European Union on defence issues can also strengthen the capabilities of our Member States – 22 of which are also NATO Allies. Through cooperation at the EU level, European countries are taking greater responsibility for their own security.
Not only do we share 22 members: the EU and NATO also face similar challenges and we have converging security interests. Almost 95% of citizens of the European Union live in NATO countries. Protecting our people is the first of our shared interests. In these two years, we have realised that greater cooperation between our two organisations can only advance our shared interests. It is a clear win-win situation. It is time to make our partnership even stronger and closer, at the upcoming NATO Summit in Brussels and beyond.
NATO Summit 2018 | Strenghtening Deterrence and Defence while Projecting Stability
Among the wide range of communication activities, a traditional commitment is the present ATA official publication accompanying and outlining the agenda of the NATO Summits. The ATA Official Summit Publication was disseminated during the Official NATO Summit Side Event– NATO Engages.
The publication is available in its entirety here.

For almost seventy years, the nations of the NATO Alliance have stood together in defence of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. Every Ally is pledged to protect the citizens and territories of the whole Alliance – all for one and one for all.
NATO is the most successful Alliance in history because it continually adapts to change. In recent years, with a more assertive Russia, turmoil in the Middle East and global challenges such as proliferation and cyber-attacks, the world has become more unstable and less predictable.
NATO has responded to these challenges with the biggest increase in our collective defence in a generation. Since 2014, we have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force, deployed four battle groups to the east of our Alliance, conducted more and larger exercises and increased the speed of our decision making. At the same time, we remain open to dialogue with Russia.
NATO has also strengthened its efforts to fight terrorism, bolstering our Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and doing more to train partner forces in North Africa and the Middle East.
At the Brussels Summit, we will take the decisions needed for the next phase of NATO’s adaptation.
We will further increase our readiness and our ability to reinforce our troops if needed, ensuring we have the right forces and equipment in the right places at the right time. We will agree a major update of the NATO Command Structure, including two new commands to ensure our forces can move quickly across the Atlantic and within Europe. Our strengthened defences will extend into cyberspace, with more resilient networks and the ability to draw on Allies’ national cyber capabilities in NATO missions and operations.
When our neighbours are more stable, we are more secure. So at this Summit we will take further steps to project stability beyond our borders. We will confirm our enduring commitment to Afghanistan, with our Resolute Support Mission strengthened to 16,000 troops, and funding for the Afghan forces extended beyond 2020.
We will launch a training mission in Iraq, to prevent the re-emergence of ISIS or any other international terrorist group. We will also step up our support for Jordan and Tunisia, with tailored packages of support.
At a time of greater insecurity, Allies need to invest more and better in defence. In 2014, Allies pledged to stop the cuts to their defence budgets, increase defence spending, and move towards investing 2% of GDP in defence within a decade. Since then, we have seen four consecutive years of increased defence spending by European Allies and Canada, amounting to an additional US$87 billion spent on defence. In 2017 alone, twenty-five Allies spent more in real terms than they did the year before. A majority of Allies have now outlined plans to reach spending 2% of GDP on defence by 2024.
Allies are investing in major new capabilities, spending an additional US$18 billion on major equipment since 2014. Allies are contributing more to operations and missions, including thousands of troops for our increased presence in the east of the Alliance.
At this Summit, we will take stock of our progress so far in terms of cash, capabilities and commitments and decide what more we need to do. Our security does not come for free, and we are committed to investing more in our defence.
Also vital to our security are our relationships with our partners around the world. None more so than our unique and essential partnership with the European Union. NATO and the EU work together in dealing with Russia, on countering hybrid threats, and in areas like cyber defence and maritime security. We also complement each other’s efforts in supporting our partners to the east and the south. The European Union’s efforts on defence are an important part of transatlantic burden sharing.
NATO is committed to a vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace. At this Summit, we will assess our support for the countries that wish to join the Alliance, and take decisions to bring them closer.
Our world is changing and NATO is changing with it. What does not change is the deep transatlantic bond that unites Europe and North America and has been the bedrock of our shared security for so long. This Brussels Summit will reconfirm our unity, our resolve and our strength.
As we look forward to the 70th anniversary of the Alliance in 2019, NATO remains the essential provider of security for its one billion citizens. The NATO Alliance is a pillar of stability in an uncertain world.
NATO Summit 2018 | Strenghtening Deterrence and Defence while Projecting Stability
Among the wide range of communication activities, a traditional commitment is the present ATA official publication accompanying and outlining the agenda of the NATO Summits. The ATA Official Summit Publication was disseminated during the Official NATO Summit Side Event– NATO Engages.
The publication is available in its entirety here.

Among the wide range of communication activities, a traditional commitment is the present ATA official publication accompanying and outlining the agenda of the NATO Summits. In this respect, the 2018 edition assumes a special relevance as the Brussels Summit represents another milestone in the NATO’s continuous adaptation to the evolving security environment.

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The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) is an organization of 38 national chapters that, since 1954 has been conducting analyses, training, education, and information activities on foreign affairs and security issues relevant to the Atlantic Alliance. ATA draws together political leaders, diplomats, civilian and military officers, academics, economic actors as well as young professionals and students in an effort to further the values set forth in the North Atlantic Treaty.